10 + more footballers that have made a lasting impression

Someone recently nominated me on Facebook to post pictures of ten footballers that have made an impression on me. It was not easy, and got me thinking about the many footballers that I admire and respect. Although I posted ten, there are so many more, so, here is an expanded list of fantastic footballers:

• Diego Maradona: for me he remains the best there ever was; he was largely the reason I fell in love with the game. I moved from Argentina to Mexico in 1986, and the 1986 World Cup was thus very special for me, and he shone for the team that I supported.
• Michael Laudrup: The greatest footballer Denmark has ever produced was a young man during the World Cup in 1986 when I also became a fan of him. I moved to Spain some years later, when he was playing in FC Barcelona, and being from Denmark immediately led to comparisons to Laudrup, who was deeply admired and respected. Besides his qualities, he was also considered a gentleman as a player, although he seemed out of touch, for instance when he changed to Real Madrid
• Ronaldinho: Perhaps the best footballer I have seen play; I saw him in Barcelona against Zaragoza in 2006, in a match where he scored two goals. He was splendid in everything he did and was hugely entertaining to watch in any team that he played.
• George Weah: In the 1990s I had barely heard about Liberia. And suddenly there was this fantastic footballer from Liberia scoring amazing goals in Serie A for AC Milan! I particularly remember a goal he scored against Verona. Many years later I moved to Liberia, and the first thing I thought about was not its awful civil war, but as the country that created such a fantastic player!
• Ruud Gullit: I first became a fan of Gullit during Euro 88, when he led the Netherlands to a fantastic triumph. He then moved to AC Milan which became a fantastic winning side with him, alongside players such as Rijkaard, Van Basten, Baresi. That Milan side was for me one of the most memorable teams I have watched, and Gullit, with his characteristic dreadlocks, the best.
• Jorge Valdano: Jorge Valdano was one of the players alongside Maradona in the 1986 World Cup triumph, and I also became a fan of him, despite him playing in Real Madrid (I am not a fan). But besides his skills, Valdano is one of the greatest thinkers about football in the world.
• Kim Vilfort: In 1989 I watched the Danish Cup final between Ikast and Brondby. I supported Ikast, but as the team ceased to exist and I moved, Brondby became my team. And Kim Vilfort was one of the pillars of the team. He was not brilliant, and a bit slow, but he was humble and hard working, the two most important qualities. In 1992, on the Danish national team, he scored the second goal in the legendary Euro victory against Germany, something I will always be fond of remembering!
• Marta: Until Marta came along I was not a fan of women's football. I found that they lacked skills and were too focused on the physical part of the game. But Marta changed that, bringing Brazilian skills and flair into the game. She was a spectacular player with skills far above most men, and changed women's football, despite all the discrimination she has had to endure from a male chauvinistic sport.
• Didier Drogba: Since I first heard about Drogba, while he was playing in Marseille, I became interested in following his career, which became glorious, both at his time in Chelsea and also with the Ivorian national team. The reason to support either side was basically Drogba, who besides his goalscoring abilities also was a man committed to improving things in his country.
• Peter Schmeichel: In my view the greatest goalkeeper there ever was, but of course, I am also biased, as he started in Brondby and was so important in Denmark's 1992 Euro triumph! 
• Carles Puyol: Puyol captained two of the best sides in history; Spain's 2010 World Cup winners and FC Barcelona's Champions' League and La Liga winners. And in both teams he was the solid and talented defender that provided the space and confidence for the teams to be victorious. He is likely one of the best defenders of all time. 
• Wayne Rooney: He was not the best player ever and he played for England and Manchester United (two teams I do not support), but I realized that I had closely followed his career, and had few bad things to say about him. 
• Zinedine Zidane: Although he played for Real Madrid I am only full of admiration for Zidane.  I got to know him from his time in Juventus, but he went into history when he led an incredible French team to the World Cup title in 1998. I cannot even blame him for his famous headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final! And his perfect 2002 Champions' League final goal against Bayer Leverkusen is legendary!
• Gaizka Mendieta: In 2001 I went to study in Castellon. That year I became fan of Valencia, who made it to the Champions League final as I was among the spectators cheering, and they were led by a splendid Gaizka Mendieta, who happened to be from Castellon!
• Carlos Valderrama: The first time I cheered like crazy for Colombia was in 1990 when Colombia played West Germany, and Valderrama leading the Colombian midfield with his characteristic hairstyle. He had a glorious career with a Colombian side that sadly underperformed for years, but also had a good career in Europe.
• Ronaldo: I am talking about Ronaldo Nazario, the prolific Brazilian goalscorer who in the 1990s and 2000s scored goal after goal for Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. I remember watching him so often on TV, scoring again and again, that it seems that period of my life was defined by his goals! While his 1998 World Cup was a memorable disappointment he belongs in the history book with Brazil's 2002 World Cup victory, when he also became the most scoring player of all time!
• Miroslav Klose: Not the most memorable striker, but after the 2014 World Cup he became the most scoring player of all time in a World Cup. But more than this, he was always a gentleman, one of the most fair players at a time when one saw this less and less.
• Eric Cantona: I admired him because he was an outstanding individualist in a team sport. A personality like his can be problematic in a team, but people like him are necessary for football.
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Basically for the same reason I admire Eric Cantona, I admire Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I watched him play for Sweden against England in Euro 2012, and although Sweden lost, Zlatan was the best of the match.
• Xavi: The midfield general of FC Barcelona and for Spain's World Cup winner was the brain behind both winning teams. In my view he should have been the FIFA World Player of the year at least once during those years!
• Iker Casillas: Any brilliant team has a great goalkeeper and so did Spain in 2010. Iker Casillas was a gentleman and a fair player who was marginalised from the club he gave it all for, Real Madrid. I feel he is one of the most underrated goalkeepers in history.
• Nadia Nayim: When Denmark did well in women's football at the 2017 Euros, Nadia Nayim was an outstanding player, but also an admirable person who has excelled in and outside the pitch despite the odds of her being a woman and a refugee.

The list is getting long, and there are in fact more footballers to whom my little homage here is a small gratitude to the joy they have given me.

Saving Brondby

I must admit that I have not followed the Danish league in detail for ages. Living abroad, with plenty of work and with outstanding leagues to watch in South America, North America and Europe, the Danish league falls a bit in the background.
And the fact that my favourite side, Brondby, has been at the bottom for a couple of years has not helped on the desire to follow the Danish "Super" league...
I therefore had to find out why I was being offered options on Brondby shares when I checked my bank recently. Turns out that the club, on the verge of bankruptcy, is trying to raise 60 Million Danish Crowns through an issuing of shares, where current stockholders receive the right to buy 13 new shares for every share owned.
Believe this: there are few worse investments than investing in a football club! So the stocks worth 80 Euros I bought in years ago was more an emotional investment; to have the feeling that I am still part of the marvelous community that Brondby fans are.
But should I support the stock emission to "save" Brondby and use my options?
The fans have made a webpage calling for fans to contribute so that the club can be "saved": redbrondby.dk. The site is to gather support for the stock emission, but it says really nothing of what "saving" means. Granted, it means that Brondby will not go bankruptcy, and thus not forced down to play in the lower divisions, something that no matter how you see it, will be a huge blow to the atmosphere and excitement of the Danish league. But it seems to me Brondby may go down to the second division anyway (currently they are swerving above relegation), and that to invest in the team may be like pouring water out of the Titanic with a teaspoon...
If I put money into the club, I would like to know what the club wants to do for the future. The team has not been working since Michael Laudrup left in 2006, and a pretty lousy management, sleeping on the misplaced grandeur of the past when Brondby was the "flagship" of European football, let the club be overtaken by petty sides from the middle of nowhere, such as FC Nordsjaelland, Randers and Horsens (!?!?).
I would want a management with their feet on the ground and with a realistic view about what Brondby can achieve over the next 10 years. Frankly, this has to include some hard things to swallow: we are unlikely to win the league in the near future. If we get to play European football we cannot expect to progress beyond the first round.
We are not the 90's Brondby any longer. Wake up.
On redbrondby.dk they include some famous people that support the club. I have never heard about any of them, except Jan Bartram, a great Danish player from the 1980s who had a rather short career. He is the only footballer I see supporting the club in these difficult moments, and I have to wonder where many of the legends of the club are: Michael Laudrup, Brian Laudrup, Peter Schmeichel, Lars Olsen, Kim Vilfort, Ebbe Sand, Marc Rieper, Allan Nielsen, Daniel Agger....? Legends from Brondby. What do they think about all this?
I am sure that with the talent school, infrastructure and fan-base, Brondby surely can be fighting for the title in the future. But it will take time and realism to rebuild what has been destroyed by lousy management over a long time, and I am not sure I am seeing this in the current "offer" to contribute money to them (which sounds so much better than the fact that they are actually begging).
So what should I do?

Swansea-Bradford in the League Cup final

Michael Laudrup is one of my favourite players and football gentlemen of all time, and therefore I wish he has success as coach of Swansea, so that one day he may take some great club, like Brondby, back to glory.
So it was with delight that one saw that Swansea eliminated Chelsea (the Champions League winners of last year!) from the League Cup, making it to their first final ever. The match, which ended 0-0 after Swansea had won 0-2 at Stamford Bridge, was overshadowed by a strange incident where the Chelsea defender totally overreacted when a ball-boy totally held on to the ball for too long, and attacked the boy.
Still, this does not take away Swansea's achievement and shot at their first title!
But Swansea is not the greatest surprise in the final. Bradford City, from the English League II, defeated Premier League giants Arsenal, as well as Aston Villa and Wigan to become a sensation in the final. So in spite of Swansea being huge favourites, Laudrup & Co. should not underestimate little Bradford, who will have nothing to lose and everything to fight for!

Top ten: comments from Michael Laudrup after he was fired at Spartak

10) "We have not had the referees with us!"
9) "I will need to open a vodka-import for this"
8) "What is Erik Larsen going to do now?"
7) "Come on! We were eliminated in the Russian cup, but I am aiming at the Champions League!"
6) "With my distinguished coaching career, maybe now I can become national team coach, which is only a part-time job anyway"

5) "What does вы произвели mean?"
4) "I thought I was going to be allowed to spend billions on dollars on players before being fired!?"
3) "Spartak who?"
2) "You mean I was actually working here!?"
1) "Muchas Gracias"

Michael Laudrup to Panathinaikos?

Michael Laudrup has always been one of my favourite players, and as coach, first in Brøndby and then in Getafe, he has also proved a highly qualified football personality.
Since announcing his leaving of Getafe a few weeks ago, there has been widespread speculation of where he would be coaching, and he has on-off been connected to Benfica, Sevilla and FC Barcelona. I have no idea how serious these rumours have been, but now it seems confirmed that Mr. Laudrup will be going to the Greek club, Panathinaikos, replacing the Portuguese José Peseiro.
While I think many fans would have liked to see Mr. Laudrup in one of the bigger clubs in Spain or England, Panathinaikos will no doubt be a challenge: the Greek fans are passionate, and there is great competition in the league which for the last four seasons have been won by Olympiacos (must be mentioned that the Greek league has been a pretty one-sided affair since 1997: Olympiacos has won every year, with the exception of 2004, when Panathinaikos won their last title).
There is no doubt that Mr. Laudrup will be under pressure to bring Panathinaikos back to the title, and that will be a challenge I wish him the best of luck with!

Up and down with Valencia

It is perhaps good I have been away, very far away, to see my dear Valencia stumble, and continue falling. In the end, I was almost giving up looking at the results, as Valencia was losing again and again, and getting threateningly close to the relegation-spots.
Just 4 years ago UEFA and Spanish Champions, and now this...
So it was with happiness I saw that they had made it to the Spanish Cup final, the Copa de Rey, and with more happiness that I saw that they won it, 3-1 against Michael Laudrup's Getafe. Finally, at least a title! This may give the players their faith back, and lead them upwards in the table, and well, next year, again be fighting for the top spots in the Spanish League and a place in the Champions League, where Valencia surely belongs!

But supporting Valencia these days is to live on an emotional rollercoaster: after their Cup-victory, Valencia returned to their nightmarish dance in the Primera División, where they yesterday were thoroughly trashed 5-1 by Athletic de Bilbao.

There is something rotten in Valencia.

Getafe-Barcelona

Michael Laudrup, Getafe's Danish coach, has been under pressure after taking over the job as Getafe's head coach; they were outstanding last season, qualifying for the UEFA Cup, but this season's start has been difficult.
It was therefore interesting whether Mr. Laudrup could muster his troops for a clash with FC Barcelona, where he played himself, with great success, during the 1990's.
Getafe last season eliminated Barcelona from the Spanish Copa del Rey, and there was some talk of Barcelona needing to get some kind of revenge.
However, a disappointing Barcelona side didn't seem like they were overly motivated against a well-organised Getafe side. Although Barcelona had more possession and some chances in the first half, Getafe took the lead before halftime. I had been expecting Barcelona to come out attacking, but second half was one of the most pathetic displays I have seen from Rijkaard's Barcelona side. Without Deco, Ronaldinho and Messi injured/uninspired, the rest of the team seemed poor: the youngsters Giovanni and Bojan were spineless, and Henry still seems to need more adapting to the team.
In the end, a frustrated Zambrotta got a deserved red card for a headless tackle, and Getafe made a second goal on a counter-attack, to win a well deserved victory, although against a disappointing opponent.

With Real Madrid winning an apparently spectacular game 4-3 against Mallorca the Merengues are firmly on first spot, followed by Villarreal by one point, and then Barcelona and Valencia tied with 24 points.

The Spanish League seems to be as exciting this season as it was in last, with Real Madrid looking strong, but definetly not undefeatable. I am certain we have a lot of more exciting games to come!

Goodbye Michael Laudrup

I heard that Michael Laudrup will not renew his contract as coach in Brondby. Sad for Brondby. It has been six excellent years with him as coach, where new young players have flourished, and the team ahs played beautiful football. All this, in spite of not winning any titles this season.

Michael Laudrup was the greatest Danish player ever, and a true gentleman on and off the pitch. Some rumours are tying him with big European clubs (rumours always abound about Real Madrid, but I doubt he should be part of that circus). No matter what, he will be missed in Brondby. I will miss him, and hope to see him return!

Cheers Mr. Laudrup!

A difficult match

The Brøndby team was on its way to Copenhagen for another encounter between Brøndby and FC Copenhagen. This time, however, the Brøndby players were not overly motivated.
“Do we really have to go? Why don’t we just go down have some beers?”
“We have to do it boys, this is our job, no matter how easy it is”, was the only thing coach Michael Laudrup could say.
Suddenly, in the midst of the gloom, defender Per Nielsen said “Look guys, you have all had a long season. Why don’t you let me alone play against FC Copenhagen, while you can all take the day off?”

The rest of the Brøndby players lit up, and Michael Laudrup was also thankful to his Captain. So while Per Nielsen went play the match all by himself, the rest of Brøndby went to a bar, where they were drinking beer and playing pool, while listening to the game in the radio: “After 10 minutes, Brøndby is ahead 1-0 on a goal by the only player, Per Nielsen!”, the commentator said, and the Brøndby players continued in the bar without worrying.
But towards the end of the game the commentator suddenly exclaimed: “FC Copenhagen has just equalized with only a few seconds remaining of the match!”
The Brøndby players could not believe their ears, and they hurried to the stadium, where they met a very disappointed Per Nielsen.
“Per! What the hell happened!?” Coach Michael Laudrup exclaimed!
A gloomy Per Nielsen said: “I received a red-card fifteen minutes into the second half…”

Lots of practice

It was the day for the most important game of the season, between Brøndby and FC Copenhagen. Copenhagen defender Ole Tobiasen had to get to Brøndby for the match. On his way there, he got lost. Realizing that he was getting late, he suddenly saw Brøndby coach Michael Laudrup, and decided he would ask for directions.
"Excuse me Mr. Laudrup? How do I get to Brøndby?"
"Lots and lots of practice and many hours of training, kid".

Danish Champions

I am back in Denmark, and as I had hoped, in perfect timing to celebrate Brøndby taking "the double". Last night Brøndby were playing at home to Herfølge. With a victory, they would secure the Danish league title, three rounds before the season ended. Michael Laudrup's team left no doubt: Herfølge was dispatched with 7-0.

This was certainly the most amazing way to win the 10th title since 1985 (the last one was in 2002), as well as the double. This is the first coach- championship for Michael Laudrup. He is true to his football style of attacking football, and has made marvels with the Brøndby youngsters. I just hope they will be able to keep him in the team at least one more season.

Skål for Brøndby!

Danish Cup Champions!

I do not get to see any Danish football these days. It is not a priority on African TV.

But yesterday I was overly happy to get a message from a friend, that Broendby had won the Danish Cup title, with a 3-2 victory against FC Midtjylland (do not mind the name…). It was apparently an exciting match, and Broendby only took the title after a dramatic extra time. I can almost feel the excitement!

Broendby, which is coached by the legendary Michael Laudrup, has a good shot at winning trhe double now. With 8 rounds left of the league, Broendby is 4 points ahead of FC Copenhagen. I hope to get to Denmark to celebrate the double!

Danish football in trouble

Mr. Olsen, the excellent Danish national coach, has for long been complaining about the lack of technical skills of players in the Danish league.
When looking at most games in the Danish "Superliga", Mr. Olsen is absolutely right. Danish clubs are presently in such a crisis, making the Danish leagues into one of the worse in Europe.
For a proud Dane this is hard to accept, but all the more obvious when looking at the realities: the defending Danish Champions from FC Copenhagen (FCK) were humilliated by Gorica from Slovenia in the second round qualifier for the Champions League: after winning 1-2 away, they lost 0-5 in Copenhagen. This was even more humilliating when Gorica was eliminated 0-9 by AS Monaco in the next round...
One of the traditionally best Danish teams Brondby, was also eliminated from the UEFA Cup by the little known Lithuanian team Ventspils. The result is that Lithuania has more teams in the first round of the UEFA Cup than Denmark.
The only Danish team left in Europe is Aalborg B, which is up against a well-playing Auxerre.

Looking at the Danish league, things also look strange: FCK is 9th in the league. Yesterday they lost 1-3 at home to Brondby, and played horribly. The team leading in Denmark is a team with the internationally difficult name FC Midtjylland. They are primarily leading because of the greatest star in Denmark right now, the Egyptian player Mohamed Zidan. His technical skills are so far above the average Danish player, that he will probably leave Denmark soon.

Now, I should be a little optimistic on behalf of Danish football: there are many new young players. Particularly Brondby, with the legendary Michael Laudrup as coach, is giving wide possibility for young talented players in the Danish League. These were the ones who defeated FCK yesterday, and hopefully will help improve the Danish league in the future.

But Danish clubs will continue to be of the 4th division of Europe for many years...